This invention relates generally to woven baskets having bottom portions at each of at least two different levels, such that their outer bottom portions may rest upon surfaces at different heights. Such baskets will be referred to as "stepped-bottom" baskets.
Stepped-bottom baskets are popular because they provide conveniently accessible storage for differently sized items. In a two-level basket, for example, the deeper portion may be used to hold larger items, such as reading materials and craft supplies, while the shallower portion may be used to hold smaller items, such as eyeglasses, pens, and scissors. A user seated in a chair easily may reach into a stepped-bottom basket placed alongside the chair to retrieve both the large and small items stored in the basket. Besides being used on flat surfaces for storing differently sized items, these baskets also may be placed on stairs, with the bottom of the deeper portion resting upon one stair tread and the bottom of the shallower portion resting upon the next higher stair tread, and used to assemble items to be taken up or down the stairs.
An intermediate wall separates the upper and lower bottom panels of the basket. Ideally, the transition from the intermediate wall to the upper bottom panel defines a substantially right angle. Commercially available stepped-bottom baskets seldom, if ever, achieve this ideal. These baskets tend to bow or sag in the transition area, giving the basket a sloppy appearance. These baskets also are likely to twist out of shape.
In light of the disadvantages of the prior art, a stepped-bottom basket is needed in which the angle defined by the transition from the intermediate wall to the upper bottom panel is sharp, and the intermediate wall and upper bottom panels remain straight and unbowed. A stepped-bottom basket also is needed that is resistant to twisting. A method for reliably producing baskets with these features is needed as well.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stepped-bottom basket in which the angle defined by the transition from the intermediate wall to the upper bottom panel is sharp and the intermediate wall and upper bottom panels remain straight and unbowed. It is a further object of this invention to provide a stepped-bottom basket that is resistant to twisting. Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a method for making such stepped-bottom baskets.
The foregoing objectives are achieved in a unitary basket having at least two bottom portions at different elevations. These bottom portions define deep and shallow basket sections. A plurality of upsplints form a wall of the deep section and the bottom of the shallow section, which extends transversely from the top of the wall. A horizontal weave strip is positioned immediately below the basket bottom panel and a short splint is positioned adjacent to the wall panel. The weave strip is woven over the outer surface of the outermost upsplints in the wall panel and the short splint is woven over the outer surface of the outermost upsplints in the bottom panel. The consecutive oversplints urge the upsplints inwardly and upwardly to define a sharp angle between the wall and bottom panels. The basket of the present invention does not bow or bulge outwardly in the transition area between the basket panels, and resists twisting out of shape. The method includes the steps of weaving the oversplints over the outermost upsplints in the wall and bottom panels.
These and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.